A BIKER was clocked doing 58mph on his Harley Davidson motorbike in Whalley Road, Blackburn.

And Communicare Health Trust worker Robert Mitchell escaped a driving ban by the skin of his teeth when he appeared before Blackburn magistrates.

Mitchell, 35, of Albert Street, Oswaldtwistle, pleaded guilty to speeding and was fined £300 with £30 costs and had five penalty points endorsed on his licence.

The points took the total on his licence to 11 and an automatic ban under the totting-up procedure comes in on 12 points.

Basharat Ditta, defending, said Mitchell is an assistant house leader with Communicare and his job involves him working with the mentally handicapped and psychiatric patients, visiting them at various establishments.

"He accepts that he was speeding and the reason was that he was moving house that day," said Mr Ditta.

"He tells me he was simply trying to fit everything in."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.